Title card holder



Jan 30, 1934. KNEE r AL 1,945,321

TI TLE CARD HOLDER Filed June 23, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA TITLE CARD 1%: 2% "12: mg- (414. KNEE. H h 1 929 Sada. 5761 o 3 KIND W @a/ P. 5. A TON. I fi m Cebu l fgtovzlicles INVENTORS.

' Z1755 BY .4 TTORNE Y.

Jan. 30, 1934. A. A. KNEE' ET AL TITLE CARD HOLDER Filed June 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 KIA/D R 5. EATON.

INVENTORS.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Jan. 30, 1934 UNITED STATES TITLE CARD HOLDER Aaron A. Knee and Paul B. Eaton, Charlotte, N. (3., assignors of one-third to S. A. Van Every,

Charlotte, N. 0.

Application June 23, 1931. Serial No. 546,410

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a title card holder for automobiles and the like in which means are provided for receiving a title card and holding the same, from which means the card cannot be removed without .mutilating the card or the container one or the other.

,An object of this invention is to provide a title cardholder of such a structure that the card will be visible at all times and yet the card cannot be removed from the holder without mutilating the card or destroying the container in which the card is held.

Another object of this invention is to provide a suitable casing .for a title card which is adapted to be .snapped into position in a suitable hole in the instrument board of (an automobile or any other desired place and when snapped into position the card will be visible at all times, but the means 'for locking the parts of the case together cannot be unlocked without either perforating the card by a suitable instrument or destroying the container.

Heretofo-re, various attempts have been made to provide means for holding ,a title card and from which means the title card could not be removed without either mutilating the card or destroying the container, but in all structures of which we are aware, the means for holding the card can be manipulated by unscrupulous persons by electro magnetic means and other various means employed by such unscrupulous persons to allow the card to be removed from the container without destroying the card or mutilating the container and also certain of the containers can be taken apart without mutilating the container or the card. It is an object of this invention to provide a card holder which, when snapped into position on an automobile, cannot be taken apart without first perforating the title card to unlock the holder which within itself would indicate that the card has been tampered'wi'th, and upon police inspection, any automobile having a perforated card therein would be subject to scrutiny and possibly cause arrest of the driver to explain why the perforation is i in the card.

Some of the objects of the invention havin been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the device shown installed on a portion of the automobile;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View taken along the line 33 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 4 i in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a view of a title card adapted to be placed in the container;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the device; Figure '7 is a perspective View of a portion of an instrument board of an automobile shown with a hole cut therein for the reception of the device;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the casing with the top removed;

Figure 9 is a view of a suitable tool for per-forating the card and opening the container.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a casing having a lid portion 11 with said lid portion having a longitudinally disposed cross piece 12 and two transversely disposed cross pieces 13 and 14, these cross pieces being made integral with the lid portion 11, and thru which the title card is visible at all times. This lid portion 11 has welded thereto a hollowed out portion 15 which has a slot 16 at one end thereof thru which a title card 17 may be inserted and a false bottom 18 is secured in this hollowed out portion 15 having the end portions turned down as at 19 and 20 whereas the side portions are flared upwardly as at 21 and 22 to form a receptacle for the title card 17, and the projections '21 and 22 form supports .for a pane of glass 23 which is supported between the flanges 21 :and 22 and the lid 11 so as to cause the pane of glass .23 to fit against the lower side of lid 11 at all times. The pane of glass 23 is placed in position before lid 11 is welded thereto thus rendering it impossible to replace glass .23 in case the glass becomes broken. Hollowed out portion 15 has a transversely disposed slot 25 therein thru which a pin 26 projects, :said pin being secured in the bottom of casing 10 and having a leaf spring 27 mounted on the upper end thereof with spacer block 28 between the spring and the bottom of the casing 10, said spring having projections including shoulders 30 and 31 thereon for the purpose of preventing a U-shaped spring 32 from being contracted except by a suitable tool as will be presently described.

This LJ-shaped spring '32 is secured at its closed end as at 33 to the inside of portion 15 and has the points which are adapted to fit into cavities 35 and 36 on the inside proximate wall portions of casing 10. Bottom member 18 has two slots 37 and 38 therein and the pane of glass 23 has slots 39 and 40 therein thru which a suitable perforating tool 42 may be passed to perforate the card 1'? and to press the ends of spring 27 downwardly to cause the shoulders 30 and 31 respectively to be pressed out of the path of spring 32 and then when the legs of tool 42 are pressed toward each other, the title card 17 will be torn and therefore mutilated and the free ends oi. spring 32 will be withdrawn from the cavities 35 and 36 and the lid member 11 together with its portion 15 and the title card may be removed from the casing 10.

In operation, the device can be secured to any portion of an automobile but in the drawings, we show an instrument board 43 to which the easing 10 may be secured by any suitable means such as screws 44 or if desired no screws may be used, because when the lid is locked in position the rubber washer 45 extending around the lid between the flange on the lid and the instrument board 43 will tend to press the casing 10 and the lid 11 away from each' other and prevent rattling, but the screws 44 may be used so as to prevent the casing 10 from moving away from the instrument board when the lid 11 and its associated portion 15 together with the title card and the pane of glass are removed therefrom.

The casing 10 has, in the sidewall portions thereof, the inclined cavities 50 and 51 which are adapted to engage the free ends of spring 32 and to press the ends inwardly toward each other when the lid is forced against the casing 10 and this will direct the springs downwardly to cause their ends to press against the inner sidewalls of casing 10 until they reach the cavities 35 and 36 when they will spring thereinto and lock the lid 11 and its casing, and the title card therein, in the casing 10.

Suitable holes 52 are provided in the instrument board for reception of the screws 44 if desired and also the instrument board may have cut therefrom cavities 53 to coincide with' cavities 50 and 51 in the casing 10.

It is thus seen that a title card holder is provided which is adapted to be snapped into position on the automobile and the said container cannot be taken apart until the title card is per forated to unlock the same. The spring 32 has formed therein the looped portions 32a and 321) which are adapted to have passed thereinto the logs of the tool 42 after the tool 42 has perforated the title card and passed thru the slots 39 and 40 and also the slots 37 and 38 to press the spring 27 downwardly until the shoulders 30 and 31 are moved out of the path of the spring and in this position the title card holder may be unlocked and the lid removed therefrom.

It is seen that by the arrangement of the spring 27 when once the title card is snapped into position it would be absolutely impossible to take the holder apart by drilling into the cavities 35 and 38 because the spring 27 would prevent pressure to the end portions of the spring 32 from removing these portions from the cavities 35 and 36.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claims.

We claim,

1. A title card holder comprising a casing and a lid portion therefor, said lid portion having a transparent area having perforations therein, means for locking the lid to the casing, means for supporting a title card in the device, means ac cessible after perforation of the title card by inserting a tool through said perforations for unlocking the lid portion from the casing.

2. A title card holder adapted to be secured to an automobile comprising a casing and a lid therefor, said lid having a transparent perforated plate therein. card supporting means secured to said lid and adapted to fit within the first casing, resilient means carried by the card supporting means for locking the lid onto the casing, said locking means being releasable only by the insertion of a suitable tool thru said perforated plate and thru the card.

3. In a title card holder, a casing, a lid memher having a transparent plate therein, with said plate having at least one perforation therein, means for supporting a title card below said transparent plate, means supported by the means for supporting the title card adapted to engage the casing for locking the lid portion in said casing and means insertable through said perforation and said title card for moving said locking means to unlocking position.

4. In a title card holder, a casing, a lid for said casing, a transparent plate in said lid, card re ceiving means secured to the lower face of said lid portion, a false bottom mounted in said card receiving means for supporting said card, resilient locking means in said card receiving means, said casing having cavities in its inner sidewalls for receiving said locking means, said transparent plate and false bottom having coinciding perforations therein through which means may be inserted for unlocking said locking means.

5. A title card holder having a perforated planular portion for holding a card. a perforated frangible transparent portion disposed over the card, a casing, means for locking said card, said planular portion and said frangible portion in said casing and means insertable into said casing through said perforations for moving the locking means to unlocking position.

6. In a title card holder, a casing, a lid insertable in the casing, the lid having a portion extending over the edges of the casing, the lid having a transparent plate secured therein and also having means for receiving and supporting a title card immediately below the transparent plate, said casing having cavities in its inner sidewalls, resilient means supported by the lid and being adapted to engage said cavities when the lid is inserted in the casing, said transparent plate and means for supporting the title card having coinciding perforations therein through which suitable means may be inserted for moving said locking means from said cavities after said card has been perforated.

7. In a title card holder, a box-like casing having sides, ends and a bottom, a lid insertable into the open top of said casing, said lid having a transparent top, means for supporting a title card below said top, means supported by the lid for engaging said casing for locking the lid and casing together, said top having at least one perforation therein through which access to the locking means may be had after said card has been perforated.

8. In a title card holder, a casing and a lid for said casing, means mounted beneath the lid and supported by the lid for engaging the interior of the casing for locking the lid on the easing, a transparent portion in said lid, a card support mounted in spaced relation from said transparent portion, said support and said transparent portion having at least one pair of coinciding perforations therein, through which access to said locking means may be obtained after perforation of said card to move said locking means to unlocking position.

AARON A. KNEE. PAUL B. EATON. 

